Midwinter drive

where you at? here's like 30+ C degrees :)

You can tell from his accent?

I was hoping more like terra del fuego, or somewhere there :) nz is sooo like yesterday.

Yes it is - like Lake Wobegon, but fewer Lutherans and milder winters.

Good guess - even if you cheated a bit.

I changed oil and filter on the MX5 for the first time today. Had to buy a little strap clamp that you tighten with a knob (the usual twist type I have for my other cars doesn't work) to grab the filter to undo it - worked well though and only cost about ~US$8. It's probably worse doing the filter on a RHD model - the oil from the filter drops straight on the steering box and drizzles under to the splash guard where it's damned hard to get at to clean. Next time I'll be ready for it. It's a very small filter for a 1.8 litre engine.

Don't think you're going to slip the Garrison Keillor reference past this American ;-) Apparently NPR's genius is world renowned!

'Cool' to hear about your winter drive. It'll be awhile before we get our month of winter here ;-)

Later, Chris (in Hou)

While you're enjoying winter, I'm in the middle of 44C summer! Top up, AC on full!

Nor this one.

July in Houston! Ah, the memories of working in the gulf coast sun wearing long-sleeved Nomex coveralls. I only did it a few times, but it's not something you forget quickly.

Grant (who just walked past Garrison Keillor's house a few hours ago).

Is "NPR" National Public Radio? A Prairie Home Companion was aired on Radio NZ National here. I toured the US by road years ago - 15,000 slow miles in 4 months - route was not straight lines by any means, and we avoided interstates. There was some car show on AM public radio those days (early 90s) - two guys bantering - taking the p*ss out of US "car culture". Can't remember what is was called, but it was (IMO) very good.

Where's that crazy dude live these days, Phoenix?

Chris

That's my guess to Lanny, from the limited clues but, it is a great radio show that is ...... kind of, about cars ;-) What is it, Click and Clack, the Tappert brothers or something like that. I automatically download the podcasts but can't keep up with listening to them! "ME" needs to do that, it's a free download but contribute to NPR, it'll make you feel good ;-) Another great NPR podcast is This American Life, by Ira Glass. Great stuff!

Chris

That's it - thanks. "Do two people who don't know what they're talking about know more or less than one person who doesn't know what he's talking about?" heh.

Saint Paul, Minnesota. He lives in a large turn-of-the century mansion just down the street from the Governor's mansion and the James J. Hill mansion. It's on "Cathedral Hill" overlooking the Mississipi river valley and downtown Saint Paul. It's a very nice neighborhood. :)

"The Tappet Brothers" are Tom and Ray Magliozzi.

In an automotive context, a "tappet" is also known as a hydraulic lash adjuster or a hydralic valve lifter. It's a little cylindrical assembly between the valve stem and the cam shaft and automatically adjusts its length to keep the valve clearance zeroed.

Tom and Ray are both a lot smarter than they pretend to be. Both are MIT graduates, and one of them (Tom, I think) also has a Master's and PhD.

TAL is my favorite. I saw TAL live a couple years ago, and it was brilliant, though it was quite jarring -- in real life, Ira Glass didn't look at all like he did in my head all these years. Except for his glasses. The glasses were right. I saw Tom and Ray in a Nova episode a while back and had the same problem. I've decided seeing radio personalities just isn't a good thing to do.

Anyway, they did a couple seasons of a TAL TV show on Showtime or one of the cable channels as well. It was available on Netflix streaming the last time I looked.

On 6/07/2010 10:07 a.m., Chris D'Agnolo wrote: it is a great

Yes it is great (IMO). The formula would work well outside the US, everywhere except possibly Germany.

jk. I love NZ, gonna go there some day. on a big ass r1200gs across-the-world trip :)